Hisham M’hanna, the Gaza spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, has provided a snapshot of the massive challenges faced by healthcare workers in the besieged territory as Israeli attacks continue unabated.

“Since the resumption of hostilities on March 18, we haven’t witnessed one week without a report on an incident that happened or impacted a healthcare facility, a hospital, an ambulance team, or a doctor and nurse, including those who are on duty,” he told Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

M’hanna said medical staff are “constantly subjected” to the impact of the fighting and “swamped” by the high numbers of people killed and wounded.

“Our field hospital in Rafah, which has only a 60-bed capacity, has been receiving since last month a large influx of mass casualties.”

“The vast majority of them are injured with gunshot wounds. Many of them have reported that they were attempting to reach the aid distribution sites in Rafah.”

M’hanna said the situation “has not only been exhausting” the workers’ capacity but also the hospital itself.

“For most of the days, the hospital is operating at nearly double its capacity, consuming its resources that are extremely limited and impacted by the restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid,” he added, noting that the field hospital is the only fully functional facility in Rafah and overall one of the best equipped in Gaza.

“That gives you a stark example of how deteriorated and obliterated the healthcare system is in Gaza.”

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